The Consortium for Public Education

The Consortium For Public Education is a member of the Public Education Network.

The Consortium For Public Education • 410 Ninth Street, McKeesport, PA 15132 • 412-678-9215 (phone) 412-678-1698 (fax)

GRANT AWARDS
Round 45 - Fall, 2009

Pre-K/PRIMARY/ELEMENTARY LEVEL AWARDS

Title: Kindergarten Kids Can Cook
Level: Elementary
School: Rostraver Elementary School, Belle Vernon Area School District
Contact: Amy Colleran, Ashley Bergamasco, Roxanne Keffel, Lindsay Williams, Andrea Melan, Jill Mascara

In this grant program, children’s literature will provide a springboard to hands-on learning using cooking to make cross-curricular connections with literature, math, and science. Children will be introduced to a story related to a monthly theme and then have an interactive and shared writing experience to create a kid friendly recipe related to the story. Finally the children will make the recipe utilizing measuring, sequencing skills and becoming aware of chemistry, nutrition and wellness lessons.

Title: Ready! Set! Publish!
Level: Elementary
School: Chartiers Valley Primary School, Chartiers Valley School District
Contact: Rochelle Territ, Robin Moore

This program finds first and second graders improving writing skills as they become author and illustrator to create a classroom book. The children will create paragraphs about themselves as they learn paragraph organization, development and editing. The students will be introduced to the tools in Microsoft Word to type their final work. Illustrations will also accompany each story. The stories will be compiled into a book and then shared with peers and parents during a class “reading campout.”

Title: Bear Buddy Readers
Level: Elementary
School: Clairton Elementary School, Clairton School District
Contact: Amy Dooley, Nancy DeMedio, Shana Mignogna, Nina Ohm, Kevin Manko,
Ruth Benjamin-Smith, Sally Kunkle, Marianne Iacoboni

Bear Buddy Readers will help develop, foster and expand the love of reading while providing both Kindergarten and fourth grade students with skill practice. Kindergarten students will be paired with fourth graders to peer read and discuss stories each week. This program will also engage parents and community in reinforcing reading, language arts, and presentation skills.

Title: Family Reading Explorations
Level: Elementary
School: Clairton Elementary School, Clairton School District
Contact: Dr. Lucille Abellonio, Deb Marshall, Margo Dym, Juanita Horne & all classroom teachers

This grant program seeks to enhance student-reading skills and foster a love of reading by building a home/school partnership that involves families in reading books on tape and related literacy activities. Students will check out a book pack (tape recorder, book with audio cassette and activities cards/sheets) once a month. A celebration of reading with families and community will culminate the children’s reading successes.

Title: Weather, It's Scien"tastic"
Level: Elementary
School: Clairton Elementary School, Clairton School District
Contact:Laurel Keegan, Sharon Biros, Rebecca Hallas, Kristie Schweitzer

The purpose of this program is to teach first graders about weather by using various types of literature to enhance the experience. The children will read stories, observe pictures and then relate the stories to the weather around them and adapting to weather in our world. Children will learn about cloud cover, precipitation, wind and temperature while building their vocabulary and reading fluency.

Title: Building of an Ecosystem
Level: Elementary
School: Monessen Elementary Center, Monessen City School District
Contact: Tom Imbrescia, Diane Salotti, Christine Zboyovsky, Jessica Lelich, Valerie Weibel

This grant creates an ecosystem using students and parents to build the site and then students will utilize the ecosystem when studying the environment in science classes. The ecosystem will include a fresh water pond, birdhouses, bird feeders, and hummingbird and butterfly gardens. Math, science and art lessons as well as cooperation and teamwork skills will be integrated into the building of the area. The future will see the new site as a classroom for the academic study of plants, birds, butterflies, animal habitats, etc.

Title: See, Touch and Feel Science - An Elementary Hands-on Science Lab
Level: Elementary
School: Barrett Elementary School, Steel Valley School District
Contact: Cynthia Kortz, John Strom

This grant will create a science lab that will give students the opportunity to experience the various lessons presented in their textbooks. As different lessons are introduced the students will also experience the science through a lab. For example: when the children study electricity they will be able to make a potato clock to learn about conductors of electricity; when learning about the earth students will explore the samples of the different types of rocks. The study of the human body will be reinforced with models of the body and demonstrations on how the heart and lungs work. The goal is to give students real experiences to help them internalize what they have learned in their science classes.

Title: Peaceful Playground
Level: Elementary
School: Barrett Elementary School, Steel Valley School District
Contact:Lori Kenavey, Dan Condosta

This grants will transform an asphalt play spot into a place that organizes students into play areas for wholesome games and interaction. Students will learn rules of various games to play cooperatively. Students will also learn skills to resolve conflict. The play area will be stenciled in permanent paint with playground games by PTA volunteers and school staff. The goal is to create a safe, peaceful playground and reduce the incidence of conflict and misbehavior in the school.

MIDDLE/INTERMEDIATE LEVEL AWARDS

Title: Start'em at the Greenhouse
Level: Intermediate/Middle
School: Charleroi Area Middle School, Charleroi Area School District
Contact: Howard Johnson, Mary Tickner, Joell Miller, Sharon Markovich

This project expands upon the present outdoor classroom, ecosystems, and trail on the school campus by building a greenhouse at the middle school campus. Students will be able to start plants from seed, create hybrid plants, explore advanced growing techniques, and experiment with cross-pollination. The greenhouse will provide a year-round growing facility for students to participate in interdisciplinary projects through exploration and experimentation. In addition, this project will connect with the MacDonald’s MAC grant that will create raised garden beds at the same site.

Title: Courtyard Outdoor Classroom
Level: Intermediate/Middle
School: Yough Intermediate Middle School, Yough School District
Contact:Sarah Hackney, Kim Mance

This grant creates an outdoor classroom where science students will cultivate and study five different biomes – a desert, temperate grassland, deciduous forest, rainforest and taiga. The first part of the project is to create the physical space with seating for 30 students and the planting of several areas that will not only be aesthetically pleasing but create an opportunity for study. The second part of this project connects the science curriculum and the investigation of the individual biomes along with the flora and fauna found in that area. In addition, teachers from other disciplines will be able to use the area as they are inspired.

HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL AWARDS

Title: From Grade School to Graduation And Beyond: Our Community Reads!
Level: High School
School: Brownsville Area High School, Brownsville Area School District
Contact: Lynne Hartmann, Rachael Bruschi, Sara Pockstaller, Saundra Mason, Brittany Nuzzo,
Meredith Hamilton

This grant program will establish a high school book club to promote a love of reading within their peer group and also support students in volunteering for community service. Students in the high school book club will read selected books and broadcast book reviews on the high school’s morning television program reaching out to their peers. In addition, seniors will plan and host story hours with related story activities at the public library reaching out to younger students and their families. Students in the senior project, community service portion of the program will develop organizational and leadership skills while promoting reading in the community, especially to younger children. The goal of this program is to engage students in the effort to promote the joys of reading making it a lifelong habit.

Title: Exploring Product Design through Guitar Design & Manufacture
Level: High School
School: Central Westmoreland CTC
Contact:John Kovach, Lynda Jakes, Jeff Daily

This grant incorporates product design and manufacture into the Computer Aided Drafting class as students build a playable electric guitar. Students will study the design of a solid body electric guitar and create blueprints for their own guitar design. Skills in the areas of computer aided drafting, electronics, math, reading, painting/finishing and teamwork will be enhanced by this project.

Title: The Green Team
Level: High School
School: Elizabeth Forward High School, Elizabeth Forward School District
Contact: James Coll, Gail Smith, Diane Newman, Frank Champ, Shawn Shroyer, Tom Glass,
Rebecca Fest

This grant will begin environmental student-driven initiatives in the high school setting including but not limited to growing a vegetable garden, refurbishing the existing school greenhouse, implementing an enhanced school recycling program, beautifying the school grounds and participating in projects such us Adopt a Highway. Classroom connections include woodworking students constructing the planters and flat; Biology and Environmental Science students planting and maintaining the plants for study; Life Skills students assuming the responsibility for many of the tasks surrounding the programs. The goal is to raise awareness of environmental concerns and engage as many students as possible in the varied projects and the related classroom connections.

Title: Hair!
Level: High School
School: Forbes Road CTC
Contact: Wendy Moore, Dawn DelDuca

Hair! creates an integrated unit of study combining Cosmetology and US History. History students and cosmetology students will work together to create a museum display on the history of hair in the US for the spring open house. Students will research print and online sources as well as conduct interviews to understand the time periods along with the hairstyles of the era. Cosmetology students will create mannequin hair displays and history students will compose the historical interpretation based on their research. Parents and community will view the final display during the spring open house. The goals of this project are to improve research and writing skills and demonstrate the relevance of academic work in technical classes.

Title: Stock Market Game
Level: High School
School: Forbes Road CTC
Contact: Wendy Moore, Debbie Trumble, Mike Consla, Georgiana Gamberoni

The Stock Market Game is a school-wide project for all technical programs where each class is given a fictional $100,000 to invest in stocks related to their technical class. The activity encourages students to learn about economics, financial markets, investing, profits and loss, supply and demand, company performance and financial literacy. The activity integrates economics, mathematics and the varied technical programs while engaging students in a motivating hands-on learning experience.

Title: Micromania
Level: High School
School: McKeesport Area High School, McKeesport Area School District
Contact: Marla Hayes, Joan Smith, Jackie Thompson, Lee Smith

Micromania is a project designed to teach students about the world’s smallest organisms that often cause disease. Students will investigate and test various bacteria levels found throughout the school. They will design an inquiry-based experiment to test for bacteria determining variables that affect the growth of the bacteria. Students will also explore beneficial uses of bacteria. Data findings will be reported via newsletter, posters and local newspaper. The goal of this program is for students to become active learners through interdisciplinary experimentation.

Title: Our Town, Our School, Our Pride
Level: High School
School: Trinity High School, Trinity School District
Contact: Mary Ann Berty, Cynthia Garda, Jane Shamitko

This program finds high school students creating a promotional video about each school and community within the school district. Students will research, interview, video-tape and edit the video. The goal is to give students the opportunity to apply several academic lessons as they showcase their schools and local communities.

Title: Science IS Nonfiction
Level: High School
School: West Mifflin Area High School, West Mifflin Area School District
Contact: Veronica Mattson, Patricia King

This grant starts a Nonfiction Book Club in the advance science classes. Students will read and discuss books that have a science focus such as genetics, disease or other topic that introduces or reinforces lessons in the science curriculum. The program employs a cross curricular approach to science instruction and builds on the past successful use of fiction books in the science classes.